2001: A Space Odyssey [1968] | ![2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5119EXW4FEL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Actors: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter, Leonard Rossiter
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £13.99
Buy New: £3.18
You Save: £10.81 (77%)
New (19) Used (11) from £2.25
Rating:  87 reviews
Sales Rank: 3363
Format: Dubbed, Pal, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), Russian (Original Language), English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), German (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Subtitled), German (Subtitled), Dutch (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), Norwegian (Subtitled), Danish (Subtitled), Finnish (Subtitled), Icelandic (Subtitled), Italian (Subtitled)
Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region: 2
Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 136 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 7321900650007
ASIN: B000056WOM
Theatrical Release Date: April 6, 1968
Release Date: June 1, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Confirming that art and commerce can co-exist, 2001: A Space Odyssey was the biggest box-office hit of 1968, remains the greatest science fiction film yet made and is among the most revolutionary, challenging and debated work of the 20th century. It begins within a pre-historic age. A black monolith uplifts the intelligence of a group of apes on the African plains. The most famous edit in cinema introduces the 21st century, and after a second monolith is found on the moon a mission is launched to Jupiter. On the spacecraft are Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Poole (Gary Lockwood), along with the most famous computer in fiction, HAL. Their adventure will be, as per the original title, a "journey beyond the stars". Written by science fiction visionary Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, 2001 elevated the SF film to entirely new levels, being rigorously constructed with a story on the most epic of scales. Four years in the making and filmed in 70 mm, the attention to detail is staggering and four decades later barely any aspect of the film looks dated, the visual richness and elegant pacing creating the sense of actually being in space more convincingly than any other film. A sequel, 2010: Odyssey Two (1984) followed, while Solaris (1972), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Abyss (1989) and A.I. (2001) are all indebted to this absolute classic which towers monolithically over them all. On the DVD: There is nothing but the original trailer which, given the status of the film and the existence of an excellent making-of documentary shown on Channel 4 in 2001, is particularly disappointing. Shortly before he died Kubrick supervised the restoration of the film and the production of new 70 mm prints for theatrical release in 2001. Fortunately the DVD has been taken from this material and transferred at the 70 mm ratio of 2.21-1. There is some slight cropping noticeable, but both anamorphically enhanced image and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (the film was originally released with a six-channel magnetic sound) are excellent, making this transfer infinitely preferable to previous video incarnations. --Gary S Dalkin
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| Customer Reviews: Read 82 more reviews...
Beautifully shot but complicated film May 6, 2008
P. Miller
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A great film but looking its age with lots of 70's style over-the-top phychedelic effects. It's a good idea to read the book before watching the film though, it's very long on fancy effects but remarkably short on explanation. I've watched it many times and can honestly say that if I hadn't read the book first, I'd have little idea what on earth was going on.
 A Short Story Overstretched April 5, 2008
Di Le Bec (UK)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
This film was made before men had walked on the moon and for its time the special effects were (forgive the pun) out of this world. Post Star Wars and CGI they remain good but not enough to carry the film - at least not on a TV screen. After that the story line's pretty thin but very drawn out, with an ending that leaves most people baffled. I suspect that the film's original success was based on the combination of ground breaking visuals and music -on a cinema sized screen with six channel sound (still a novelty in those days), plus a couple of novel ideas. Now that the novelty's worn off there's not enough left for the small screen to make the DVD a good investment. Wait for it to come round on television.
 the next stage of human consciousness January 31, 2008
Daniel Margrain (London)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Kubrick's seminal masterpiece is a true work of art - the cinematic equivilent to Beethoven's 5th symphony or Picasso's Guernica. What Kubrick managed to convey so exquisitely is man's seemingly eternal quest for truth crystalized through the development of human consiousness and evolution - from the dawn of humanity in pre-history through to space exploration, culminating in humanities apparent conquering of technology and, by extension, mortality itself.
Having been removed of his technological armoury by HAL in the final act, man races towards infinity to face his ultimate challenge - death. For what is man without technology?
Finally, man confronts himself on the stage between mortality and beyond. This stage is represented as a white room. Man knocks to the floor a glass of red wine represented as the spirit of man. The wine remains in the glass, therefore the spirit of man continues. The light does not die and man is ready for the next stage of his evolutionary leap. The star child is born.
Kubrick's meditation on the quest for the meaning of existence simply has to be seen.
 A space Oddity January 23, 2008
B. M. Rockey (Wokingham, Berks United Kingdom)
2 out of 23 found this review helpful
I can't express how disappointed I am with this much respected and written about science fiction movie. I never saw the film when it was released and have never seen it advertised for showing on any of the tv channels since. So, I was looking forward to something rather special when I purchased a copy recently.
I can't honestly say that I am a sci-fi buff but I have always been interested in a good story and man's advancement in space. My number 1 'encounter' film which 2001 A Space Oddysey can be classified as, will always be Spielberg's 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (1977).
Okay, 2001 was made in the 60's and we're now forty years on - please don't try and convince me that the ape scenes or the space scenes are as realistic as a film made today - they're not. For the 60's, I would agree that the quality and detail of the space scenes is very, very good though.
The pace of the film is incredibly slow (even for an old guy like me!) and would even put a glass eye to sleep. To stop you falling asleep, the images are backed by incredibly annoying vocals from a choir similat to that now employed on the Honda advert! Occasionally, we get a nice bit of classical music such as the Blue Danube, but even this is taken to the extreme and I'm sorry but I had to turn the sound down!
Towards the end of the film we get the psychadelic images - which would have made those of the flower power era when the film was made feel 'way out man'. I'm sorry, it didn't do anything for me.
The plot - oh yes! Is there one? Well, let's try - some superior planet hopping intelligent beings leave a monolith on earth x billion years ago which is discovered by a pack of apes who learn how to knock hell out of each other by touching it. From that time on man evolves, and eventually travels to the moon to find another monolith. Curious to know more, they set up a mission to find another on Jupiter in a spacecraft with a super intelligent computer HAL. Of course, it all ends in tears when the astronauts threaten to shut down HAL because it has made a mistake, and it trys to bump them all off! Fortunately, one astronaut - Dave who is still more intelligent than the computer and the only one left alive, outwits HAL, and does in fact shut it down whilst it (yes, HAL) sings "Daisy, Daisy, tell me your answer do"!!! How does it end - God knows or should I say ET knows.
Take my advice - only watch this film with a large box of Maltesers and a suitable bottle of something - your choice.
Kubrick's Masterpiece. In my top ten (of everything!) January 22, 2008
AA (UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The first time I saw it I hated it but I was only about 9 or 10 years old. I rediscovered it as a teenager and it actually changed me as a person. If you saw it like me originally as a youngster and didn't enjoy it, give it another go, even if you don't like Scifi. This is a true masterpiece and even now it hasn't aged or dated. People are still inspired by it, not just film-makers but scientists.
One interesting point the most "human" character in the film is HAL (an artificial computer intelligence). You'll understand what I mean if you've seen it - maybe you disagree?
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